ALBANY- In light of Thursday’s International Overdose Awareness Day, state officials are engaging in critical discussions to combat a troubling issue: overdose deaths in the state have reached an all-time high, paralleling increased substance use and mental health disorders since the onset of the pandemic.
According to data from the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports and the state Comptroller’s Office, more than 6,300 New Yorkers lost their lives to overdoses in 2022, a significant increase from the more than 5,800 deaths recorded in 2021. The surge in overdose deaths can be largely attributed to the prevalence of fentanyl, an opioid, or the inclusion of xylazine, a medication that elevates the risk of overdose, in various drugs.
“We are at the worst point ever on record in terms of the number of overdose deaths that are happening in New York and the United States,” lamented Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, Commissioner of the Office of Addiction Services and Supports. She emphasized that provisional data from 2022 indicated over 6,300 overdose-related deaths, translating to approximately one death every 90 minutes in New York.
The majority of overdose fatalities are linked to fentanyl, Dr. Cunningham noted.
Localities have already received $64 million of the state’s opioid settlement funds to enhance access to addiction treatment, distribute fentanyl and xylazine test strips, and provide life-saving medications like Narcan and naloxone to reverse overdoses. State law mandates that this funding be dedicated to strengthening harm reduction and prevention services statewide.
Dr. Cunningham underscored the importance of harm reduction, emphasizing that it involves recognizing substance use as a long-standing aspect of human behavior. She stressed the need to address addiction as a medical condition that requires medical treatment and a public health approach, comparing it to conditions like diabetes or heart disease.
